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You are here: Home / Momlife / Five Fun + Simple Outdoor Adventures For Toddlers

Five Fun + Simple Outdoor Adventures For Toddlers

August 29, 2018 By Kari Leave a Comment

Try out these five fun and simple outdoor adventures for toddlers!
They’re enriching, inexpensive, and will inspire you to spend more time outdoors with your little ones.

Outdoor adventures for toddlers-1

Outdoor Adventures For Toddlers

Getting outside with your toddler is the ticket. There’s something about fresh air that cures the nastiest of tantrums and calms their little spirits (not to mention yours). It’s also a perfect opportunity for kids to learn something new. (Read more on the benefits of outdoor play here).

On our recent family trip to Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, Wyatt and I went on a mini kayak adventure while Ryan hosted a charity golf tournament. I was a bit nervous at first. Am I supposed to take a three-year-old in a kayak? Will he try to stand up or jump out? What if he starts having a meltdown in the middle of the lake? Finally, I retreated back to one of my favourite quotes, “Stop thinking about what will go wrong and think about what will go right!”

Outdoor adventures for toddlers-2

I’m happy to report it turned out great. We survived AND also had a really nice time together! Here are a few tips to help maximize your outdoor experience with your kids and further down you’ll find more ideas for outdoor adventures for toddlers.

Tips for Success:

  • Keep it short. We went out for about 45 minutes, and by that time Wyatt was done.
  • Involve your little ones in the entire process of the adventure. In our case, Wyatt helped me sign in, pick out life jackets, and of course he wanted to get into the boat himself. It’s empowering for them to help out.
  • Look for ways to make this mini-outing more of an experience with simple teachable moments sprinkled in. I got him to ‘help’ me paddle, we talked about what he thought was in the water, and created stories of what animals lived on the island in the middle of the lake.
  • Give them responsibilities. At this age, the desire for independence is off the charts. Assign small tasks to keep them into it. Wyatt’s job was simply to keep the blanket over our legs. He took great pride in it!
  • Take a few pictures, and look back at them in the weeks or months after and talk about what you did. If you’re feeling really crafty you could even print off the photos and make a scrapbook page to hang on the fridge or in their room.

Outdoor adventures for toddlers-3

More Outdoor Adventures for Toddlers:

Bike Ride to Dinner: Pop your babe in the ride-along bike seat and head out for a casual dinner. We just bought this bike seat and Wyatt is loving it! Supper is taken care of and he gets to see the city (or wherever you live) from a new perspective.

Picnic and Cloud Animals: No trip to the park needed: take your lunch to the backyard! First of all, compile a picnic basket. (This one is adorable and I love this heart-shaped one too.) Then, lay down a blanket, enjoy your food, and search for animal shapes in the clouds. Make up stories for each one, and get your little one to mimic the animal sounds.

Nature Scavenger Hunt/Eye Spy (in the stroller): So, you need a walk, but you’re not in the mood to chase after your kid on his bike. Create a list of things for him to look out for on the walk, pop him in the stroller, and go! You can do up a fancy list up ahead of time, or if you’re in a rush, jot the items down on a scrap paper and head out the door. He’s confined and learning and you’re getting some chill time. You could also make some things on the list tangibles he needs to bring home (example: heart-shaped leaf, acorn, or a rock) and use those pieces for an art project.

Backyard Campout: Do an overnight camp, or simplify by setting up a pop-up beach tent (we love this one) for a fun day-camp with sleeping bags (tell me this isn’t the coolest kid sleeping bag ever!) and pillows, etc. Enjoy a fire, roast marshmallows, sing camp songs – but most importantly, ensure bedtime actually happens inside in their room.

Pin this to your Parenting and Family Adventure boards and remember to follow me on Pinterest!

 

Other Posts You’ll Love:

How To Throw An Awesome Truck Birthday Party

DIY Dump Truck Photo Booth

Our New Outdoor Oasis Reveal

xx

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kariskelton

your go-to mom friend 🙌
Here's what works best for me and my family. Share ⬇️ what works best for you + yours!
❤️ Wyatt, Noah, Moses🐾 Monroe🐾
❤️ Ry

Kari Skelton | Motherhood Community
First time going to Disney? We got so much great a First time going to Disney? We got so much great advice and awesome tips for how to maximize our first time at the park as a family.

➡️ The number one thing I want to pass along is to allow breathing room in your days there. Don't overplan it. Try not to be SO scheduled that you miss the magic. ✨️

Of course you want to have a general plan of the rides you want to hit, your strategy for tackling the pack, etc. but leave space so when suddenly Goofy is walking down the street and your kiddo wants a photo - you have time. 

➡️ Book your hotel and park passes ahead of time for sure. Reserve a character dinner too (we booked ours the day before and got the last spot). 

There are a lot of to-the-minute schedules you'll find out there for how to hit every ride and try all the food in record time but for a family with young kids, I don't recommend it. Just go with the flow and have fun! 🤗

➡️ Make sure to head a few reels back and see how we surprised our seven-year-old with the trip! Ask any questions below. ❤️ Like and save this post if it was helpful for you.

More Disney tips coming to my Reels feed and KariSkelton.com this week! 

#familydisney #disneylandtips #babyatdisney #disneyfirsttime #disneyparents 

family travel tips, Disneyland tips, Disney as a family
Happiest place on earth. ❤️❤️❤️ We di Happiest place on earth. ❤️❤️❤️

We didn't know how it would go... (or work) with bringing a baby to Disney. It was amazing. 🥰  What do you want to know? I've got a whole bunch of tips now. 😄👍

#disneybabies #babyatdisney #familytraveltips
Easiest Easter Dinner! ➡️ Give yourself a bre Easiest Easter Dinner!

➡️ Give yourself a break this year and just order your Easter dinner from @fresonbros!

📍These delicious chef-prepared Easter Dinner Boxes are totally customizable. Your main course  is mouth-watering, tender Mountain Park ham, with a delicious ham glaze, roasted garlic parmesan baby potatoes and honey dill carrots.

Customizable add-ons include:

- Granny’s Stuffing
- macaroni salad
- Alberta sourdough
- iconic sourdough hot cross buns
-choice of desserts like
coconut macaroon cookies, sourdough cinnamon buns, and sweet coconut cream pie!

➡️ Order online (link in my bio) from now until April 16 and pick up at your nearest Freson Bros. location. Save this idea and make sure to share with your friends!

{partner}

#cateredeasterdinner #easydinner #easyEasterdinner #yegfood #easterbox #ordereaster
Disney photos! Having a blast! ❤️ Noah got to Disney photos! Having a blast! ❤️ Noah got to go on a lot of the rides too. 🤗 

What's your favourite food to get at Disney? A must-try. Share ⬇️
Load More… Follow on Instagram

kariskelton

your go-to mom friend 🙌
Here's what works best for me and my family. Share ⬇️ what works best for you + yours!
❤️ Wyatt, Noah, Moses🐾 Monroe🐾
❤️ Ry

Kari Skelton | Motherhood Community
First time going to Disney? We got so much great a First time going to Disney? We got so much great advice and awesome tips for how to maximize our first time at the park as a family.

➡️ The number one thing I want to pass along is to allow breathing room in your days there. Don't overplan it. Try not to be SO scheduled that you miss the magic. ✨️

Of course you want to have a general plan of the rides you want to hit, your strategy for tackling the pack, etc. but leave space so when suddenly Goofy is walking down the street and your kiddo wants a photo - you have time. 

➡️ Book your hotel and park passes ahead of time for sure. Reserve a character dinner too (we booked ours the day before and got the last spot). 

There are a lot of to-the-minute schedules you'll find out there for how to hit every ride and try all the food in record time but for a family with young kids, I don't recommend it. Just go with the flow and have fun! 🤗

➡️ Make sure to head a few reels back and see how we surprised our seven-year-old with the trip! Ask any questions below. ❤️ Like and save this post if it was helpful for you.

More Disney tips coming to my Reels feed and KariSkelton.com this week! 

#familydisney #disneylandtips #babyatdisney #disneyfirsttime #disneyparents 

family travel tips, Disneyland tips, Disney as a family
Happiest place on earth. ❤️❤️❤️ We di Happiest place on earth. ❤️❤️❤️

We didn't know how it would go... (or work) with bringing a baby to Disney. It was amazing. 🥰  What do you want to know? I've got a whole bunch of tips now. 😄👍

#disneybabies #babyatdisney #familytraveltips
Easiest Easter Dinner! ➡️ Give yourself a bre Easiest Easter Dinner!

➡️ Give yourself a break this year and just order your Easter dinner from @fresonbros!

📍These delicious chef-prepared Easter Dinner Boxes are totally customizable. Your main course  is mouth-watering, tender Mountain Park ham, with a delicious ham glaze, roasted garlic parmesan baby potatoes and honey dill carrots.

Customizable add-ons include:

- Granny’s Stuffing
- macaroni salad
- Alberta sourdough
- iconic sourdough hot cross buns
-choice of desserts like
coconut macaroon cookies, sourdough cinnamon buns, and sweet coconut cream pie!

➡️ Order online (link in my bio) from now until April 16 and pick up at your nearest Freson Bros. location. Save this idea and make sure to share with your friends!

{partner}

#cateredeasterdinner #easydinner #easyEasterdinner #yegfood #easterbox #ordereaster
Disney photos! Having a blast! ❤️ Noah got to Disney photos! Having a blast! ❤️ Noah got to go on a lot of the rides too. 🤗 

What's your favourite food to get at Disney? A must-try. Share ⬇️
Load More… Follow on Instagram

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